The present invention relates to camera apparatuses used for crime prevention, surveillance, monitoring, and observation, and more particularly to a camera apparatus configured with a simple mechanism that enables the visual recognition of the movement of its video incident section.
Camera apparatuses equipped with a camera, typically using a CCD (charge coupled device), are often placed on ceilings, floors, walls, etc. in various locations such as banks, shops, and amusement centers for surveillance, monitoring, observation, and crime prevention. These camera apparatuses have a mechanism that pans the camera from side to side and tilts the camera up and down. This mechanism allows the camera to aim in the target direction from the installed position to capture a broader view.
The Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. H7-42261 (hereafter referred to as xe2x80x9cthe prior artxe2x80x9d) discloses one of these conventional camera apparatuses. The prior art has the following configuration.
The prior art is a surveillance camera for monitoring the surrounding area by moving the camera in three dimensions, and comprises a base whose circumference is attached in pivotable fashion to the wall or ceiling of a building; a camera body supported by the base that allows it to pivot back and forth; a pan motor for rotating the base circumferentially; and a tilt motor for pivoting the camera body back and forth.
The base comprises a cylindrical support section for supporting the camera body and an anchoring section, which is secured onto the wall, for supporting this support section. The pan motor is disposed to the side of the support section in the base. A driving mechanism is provided for transmitting the force exerted by the pan motor along or in parallel with the circumference of the base support section. The camera body is cylindrical, and a driving mechanism is provided for transmitting the force exerted by the tilt motor along or in parallel with the circumference of the camera body.
However, the prior art has the following disadvantages.
(1) Since the entire apparatus is covered with a spherical (dome) cover, its appearance, including shape and color, is limited, restricting design flexibility.
(2) The pivoting shaft for the camera body is disposed at the rear end of the camera body. This increases the pivoting radius when the camera body pivots, making the apparatus larger.
(3) The entire apparatus is covered by a spherical dome cover, and thus the dome radius needs to be made larger than the pivoting radius of the camera body. Accordingly, space not required for pivoting the camera body is present inside the dome, making the apparatus larger.
The present invention solves the above disadvantages, and offers a camera apparatus which enables visual monitoring of camera movements, higher flexibility in design by enclosing the mechanism, smaller camera apparatus by reduced unused space inside the apparatus, and increased productivity by use of a simple mechanism.
The camera apparatus of the present invention includes:
(a) a tilt unit which tilts about a first rotation axis when a camera is installed at the front of the first rotation axis;
(b) a pan unit which pans about a second rotation axis perpendicular to the first rotation axis when the pan unit rotatably holds the tilt unit and tilt driving means for rotating the tilt unit is provided at the back of the first rotation axis; and
(c) a casing which rotatably holds the pan unit and has pan driving means for rotating the pan.
Another camera apparatus of the present invention includes:
(a) a casing which has an opening on at least one face;
(b) a pan unit which is disposed on the casing and has an external video incident section;
(c) a pan shaft disposed on the pan unit;
(d) a pan shaft support disposed near the opening for rotatably supporting the pan shaft;
(e) pan driving means for rotating the pan unit about the pan shaft;
(f) a tilt unit which has an internal video incident section and a tilt face inside the pan unit concealed from the external video incident section, and this tilt unit is disposed such that the external video incident section and internal video incident section are visibly coupled;
(g) a tilt shaft disposed on the pan unit;
(h) a camera disposed inside the tilt unit; and
(i) a tilt unit driving means which is disposed inside the pan at the back of the tilt shaft for rotating the tilt unit about the tilt shaft and.
The above configurations reduces unused space inside the apparatus and enables the apparatus to be downsized. In addition, its simple mechanism offers a camera apparatus with high productivity.